What are the components found in nucleic acids?

Nucleic acids, which include DNA and RNA, are essential biomolecules composed of several key components that serve specific functions in the storage and transmission of genetic information. The correct choice includes oxygen, phosphate, nitrogen, hydrogen, and carbon.

These components are structured as follows:

• Oxygen is present in the sugar molecules of nucleotides, which help form the backbone of the nucleic acid structure.

• Phosphate groups contribute to the backbone of the nucleic acid, linking sugars of adjacent nucleotides together and providing a negative charge to the molecule.

• Nitrogen is found in the nitrogenous bases (adenine, thymine, cytosine, guanine in DNA; adenine, uracil, cytosine, guanine in RNA), which are critical for pairing and genetic coding.

• Hydrogen is involved in the formation of hydrogen bonds between paired nitrogen bases, stabilizing the double helix structure of DNA.

• Carbon is part of the sugar molecules and the nitrogenous bases, being one of the foundational elements in organic molecules.

This combination of elements is what allows nucleic acids to perform their essential roles in biology, such as encoding genetic information and facilitating